Brigadier-General Thomas Sweeny from Dunmanway, Co. Cork is one of the best known Irish Generals of the American Civil War. His family emigrated to the United States around 1832 when Thomas was still a boy. He enjoyed a colorful career in the military; Sweeny lost an arm at the Battle of Churubusco during the Mexican […]

Many of the Irishmen who fought during the American Civil War had a strong commitment to using their experience to strike a blow for Irish Independence when the conflict was over. These were the Fenians, and even when on military duty between 1861 and 1865 it was not unusual for many Irish officers to meet frequently to collect […]